Greenidge to coach T&TCB U23 Academy

Former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman, Gordon Greenidge will be one of the coaches at the T&T Cricket Board 2009 Cricket Academy.

This was revealed by programme director William Wallace at the official launch of the second edition of the Under-23 academy which took place last Friday at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva. Greenidge will be supported by Clem Hercules, Debideen Mannick and Julian Fontaine. According to Wallace, the programme, which started on Friday, will continue over a ten-week-period on the weekends. He said at the end of the programme a team will be selected to tour South Africa in December.

Wallace said that this was one of many initiatives that the board would embark on in the near future. “The T&TCB in its continuing efforts to contribute in the process of producing the product, (the cricketer), continues to embark on programmes such as this one.
The U-23 Academy can be considered the top tier in a series of developmental programmes which starts with an age-group as low as six,” Wallace said. Wallace said that in 2008 the programme was a resounding success and he was expecting that in 2009 it would be even better. He said the programme was a residential one, with the selectees coming on Friday and leaving on Sunday.

“The T&TCB is mandated to oversee cricket in T&T at all levels and to contribute to realising the full potential of all players. To this end we cannot over emphasise the role of the board in contributing to the final product—the cricketer.
We see the need to design a programme to walk with a group of players to the next level,” Wallace said.
Among the programme components will be psychological, public image, health and wellness, physical fitness, cricket.

Trinidad Guardian